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[Briefing]

A boat colored in hues of green and black camouflage moved along the river that was very close to their destination. It was no bigger than a commercial fishing boat; big enough to hold up to ten to twenty people, but small enough to be mobile and low profile. The time was 5:45 AM GST (Gaia Standard Time), the sun having yet to hit the horizon. But there was a tint of blue creeping onto the blackness of night, showing that the morning light was steadily approaching. On board, both the takers of this job and five LAW officials were present, in which one of them served as the captain. Currently under the deck in a cabin, a man of Caucasian descent, he wore fashionable spectacles on his face that made him look more presentable than the common nerd glasses or those that you will see your grandparents wearing. A well groomed mustached and groomed back dark brown hair was his facial features. He looked in his middle ages, holding maturity in his appearance, but still showing some signs of his youth. Though the others of the LAW group were wearing SWAT-esque outfits, as well as carrying weaponry, this man was dressed in a pinstripe suit, colored in dark purple. A slender pipe rested between his lips, smoke rising from its end as he gave it a few puffs from the corner of his mouth before he finally spoke to them.

The man spoke, holding a British accent: "We're just about at our point of destination, so let me rebrief what was told to you when you applied for this mission. Some of us may not have as much of a good memory as others." He removed the pipe from his mouth as he walked up to the television screen that was present at the end of their waiting room. It quickly flashed on, showing them the map of the entire swamp. But with a sudden zoom, the details grew as the visionary focused on a particular area.

"This is known as Gator's Den, a bayou in this region that is famous for its clan of alligators. For years, it has only been visited by hunters, but recently, even the daring have stayed away from this place due to the turn of events. The gators mutating, a fog showing up in this region alone, it's clear whose behind this. If we are right about our assumptions, the Orochi that got away from us months ago should be present at the heart of this area in his base, possibly at E2. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I believe this is the perfect time for us to strike. You have each been provided a map of the bayou, courtesy of our local hunters. Use it to navigate yourselves to its center, where our target should be located. Once you infiltrate his lair, destroy all that get in your way and apprehend the Orochi, dead or alive. In addition, to help us get better leads on the Orochi Order operation, we ask that you collect any items or documents within that will help us pursue our investigation."

The man walked up closer to the center of the room, his eyes gazing around as he scanned past each of the brave individuals who undertook this quest. "Once you complete this quest, you will return here for rendevouz. You each have walkie-talkies, so if there's anything you need, call us on frequency 233.50. Your radios have preset to this channel. If you need any extra assistance, should you not be able to handle this alone, you can call for help, and three of my men will be there as quickly as possible to help you. Make sure to give your coordinates so that we know where to go."

He took another pause in his speech, resting his pipe back into the right corner of his mouth.

"I know some of you are here for money and there is some of you who actually care for the good of the world. Whichever case it is, do know that LAW appreciates you joining this cause, and you will be well rewarded in both monetary and moral values upon completion.

"Now, are there any questions? We should be at the site in five minutes."

Map of Gator Den

((You guys can start posting.))

((Also, as Reyin's post shows, you guys DO know that you're going to a Bayou, so if you want to bring any extra equipment that isn't in your profiles, just list it in your intro post.))

"I don't do what I do because I want recognition-"

A dusky skinned, rather exotic woman was somewhere amongst this group-probably at the back, standing with a straight back and crossed arms. Her skin was brownish with a red undertone to it, native looking-while her glossy dark hair (pulled into a pert ponytail) only continued the thought she was a native to some place. Full lips, a pert nose, and a feminine face was beautiful, young, from what you could see-for a large pair of dark shades having previously concealed her eyes from anyone glancing at her, protecting them from the sun as well-and allowing her to look, in turn, at each of the members of the 'team' in secret.

Now though, with the dawn just approaching and her being indoors, the shades hung from the woman's weapon belt that hung off one curved and denim covered hip, her left hand curled just beneath her lips, thumb resting on the high collar of the black sleeveless shirt-revealing vibrantly colored blue eyes, the exact shade of tropical waters off the coasts of islands.

The woman had not spoken or really been all that around the whole trip. On her right shoulder blade, a jet black tattoo, what looked to be one half of a broken up circle, surrounded one half of a deeply scarred, painful looking brand of some many years of age. The marking, the eyes, and the skin tone, along with the woman's five feet and two inches of height and curvy, yet toned build stated plainly who this woman was.

Arian Lennox, infamous outlaw, was on board the ship. For what reasons-she kept to herself. Most would probably assume monetary gain. Arian would let them assume it. She hadn't exactly broadcasted herself. Even the order had only been given one name-"Arian." And nothing more. She didn't confirm nor deny any other questions about who she was and what she was doing there.

Only Reyin would know for sure she was the outlaw, and he was hardly paying attention, it seemed like. For everyone else-there was just doubt.

Right now, her gaze was on the captain, alert, watchful-and thinking. Her large camo bag lay against the wall behind her somewhere-and one got the feeling she was somehow watching that as well as the man speaking.

As someone spoke-Reyin Nova-Arian's eyes flickered away from the captain and rested on the kid's back. Then they flickered away with a small shake of her head.

As the Captain answered, and as he spoke up further, a feminine, accented voice would answer from the back, her English exotic, a special lilt to her vowels and a softening of harsh sounds, making her speech musical, pleasant to hear-and no doubt drawing attention to the pretty twenty one year old in the back, previously unspeaking. "We are to remain together, or stake it out alone?"

Mentally, Arian saw the little note of objectives-and the map she had memorized. The only real hint as to the answer to her question was the word 'lives' in the first objective about the Orochi.

"I don't do what I do because I want recognition-"

If Arian was pleased, relieved, or even annoyed with this answer-she showed no sign of it. Her beautiful face remained passive, and she just gave a nod.

Her eyes were thoughtful, gazing off to the side, and as often would be felt-Arian clearly inhabited an inner, introverted world. She wasn't quite sure WHAT, exactly, any of them would be facing. Truth be told-she would rather not go it alone. Not as unprepared as she felt. People could be bothersome-but also helpful. Arian knew where her strengths were-and also her weaknesses.

She didn't want to go it alone if she could help it. Though...his last bit of advice drew Arian's eyes back to him, one dark brow delicately arching. Who the ******** DIDN'T know that? Then again-not everyone had spent as much time as she had in the forests and woodlands of Gaia.

So...she supposed she shouldn't be so quick to assume things. Once more, Arian dropped her gaze, thinking.

The captain raised an eyebrow as he looked at the woman. He could tell she was nervous by her stuttering alone and wondered if she was even fit to be on a mission like this where your life was on the line.

"He'll basically be the only human you'll find in there. However, we do have a photo of his appearance taken a few months back when he was walking about the Country of Fire."

The screen changed to the visual of the man himself.



"As you can see, he's human, but at the same time, he surely doesn't seem or act like one. From the information we gathered from the nearby ninja village, he uses mostly swordplay, so if any of you do engage him, make sure you're prepared for a high caliber sword fight. I'll leave how you deal with him up to you all."

He then put his attention back onto the woman.

"Are you sure you can handle this mission?"

The anthromorphic beast stood at the very back of the boat for the majority of the trip. He had seemingly enjoyed traveling in the swamp, it was closer to nature, and that was a surrounding he was very comfortable in. However, as the boat moved closer to their supposed target spot the Beast had begun sniffing the air, and anyone acute at reading expressions would be able to tell that he felt there was something wrong.

He had allowed the humes to have their conversations on the ride in, he had remained on the edge of the group, digesting all the information that had come his way, as well as letting them get used to his presence. Finally when a pause in speech came he spoke, in a tone that sounded less bestial than it should, Iopurl spoke.

"This swamp, something has tainted it, it doesn't smell like the wilds, as it should. I can taste the taint of man on the air."

For most of the journey Iopurl had been wearing a cloaked hood over his body, hiding his beastly features from those who would be looking, although now that he was standing it was plain to all that looked that his arms were covered in fur, and the creature wore no shoes, simply clawed feet that clicked on the hard floor of the boat every time he moved around.

"Tell me, boss-man, where are we right now? How far into the Bayou should we expect to travel before we run into any...hassles."

As Iopurl uttered his last word, a small growl accompanied his speech. Clearly he was less than impressed with the state of the swamp. Something had taken the beauty of this place and corrupted it, Iopurl was going to make that person pay dearly.

((Sorry for the crappy intro, but I'm still feeling a little sick and I at least wanted to get something in before we moved off. Also I have to jet right now, but I wanted to mention he does have a small backpack/sack sort of thing attached to his belt. I can't find anywhere to slide it in nicely this post, but I did want to mention it so it doesn't seem like later I just slide it in conveniently.))

Jurie's firm disposition made the captain close his eyes for a moment, then answer: "Alright then, young lady. Just remember, this isn't a simple walk through the waters."

His eyes fell onto the figure in the back, the cloaked one that the captain clearly could tell was a beast of sorts. From his words, he knew that he could tell that the bayou was no longer natural, and that alone was a sign that they were just about ready to depart.

"We should be coming up to the shore any second now, so if you all will, please, prepare to depart."

Arian's question was a good one. Though he didn't think he would have to tell this to some adventurers or mercenaries who seemed capable of their fighting feats, it would be nice nonetheless to give them some background.

"I can't say for certain what we're fighting, really. Yes, there is mutated crocodiles in that bayou. And there may certainly be other monsters, too, that we've yet to see. The only one who has gotten any good view of these things up close is with you right now."

The captain pointed to Reyin. "He was present during the last mission that we had, though at the time, he wasn't associated with us. Fortunately, he has decided to cooperate and help us this time. At least I can say he's one of the few who cares much about purging the evil from this world."

"Captain, we're here," one of the men from outside said as he poked his head into the cabin.

"Thanks. Well, let's get going then!"

Should the group continue out the cabin as he asked, they will see the shore of the woodland await them. However, fifteen feet ahead, they will spot the wall of white that awaited them, signifying the start of the infested area.

The captain looked over to the other person here, another non-human to say the least. To him, it looked more like a lizard than a dragon, and he really wouldn't take her for the latter unless she spoke up and told them.

"Excuse me," he said to the female scaled humanoid as it bashed the radio to where the cover of the battery compartment flew off. "Is there a problem with the device?"